We've all been there. At some point over the past few months we've all had one person (or perhaps several) ask "What's the difference between the Wii U and the Wii, and why on earth should I get one?" Many seem to think it's associated with the original Wii, instead of an entirely new console altogether.
The GamePad was the focus in the majority of the Wii U's marketing campaigns, so it was easy for people to think they could simply pick up this GamePad and use it with their Wii.
Nintendo seems to have taken on-board this issue and the fact that it has possibly confused some people, as this recent flyer found at PAX East — posted by Geoff Keighley on Twitter — outlines the core reasons as to why both consoles are totally different.
What are your thoughts on this new effort from Nintendo to advertise the Wii U? Do you think it's misguided, or is this kind of basic education a requirement to give the machine the boost it needs at retail? Post a comment to let us know.
[source nintendoeverything.com, via twitter.com]
Comments 87
Lookin good
Wii U Promotion?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVSRm80WzZk
Is it only at PAX East that these have been made available? I only ask because it seems like a strange place to dish out such material - these belong in stores for both consumers and retail staff.
Either way, it's a step in the right direction!
Gamecube games?
That's one tick for the Wii.
This is something that really needs to be given out at retail stores, right by/on the Wii U case where everybody can see it instead of employees having to put their own notices up. Even if people don't take one they might at least read it.
This is good though, and even better that it got posted on twitter.
@Jamouse as well as the Wii getting a tick for Gamecube games, Wii also gets a tick for having a BBC iPlayer app which the Wii U doesn't have.
@Jamouse @phoenixology Only older Wii models play GameCube games.
@phoenixology
No but you can still access the Wii's hub which allows you to access the Wii-shop and therefore BBC iPlayer. Unfortunately, accessing the Wii's hub still doesn't allow usage of Gamecube games however.
Hmm I guess it's a start but some heavy hitting TV advertising is what I would like see.
My god. Why didn't they just call it the Super Wii?
@Mazor775 Better yet. Ditch the Wii name completely.
I got some wii u games at target the other day and the rep started asking me about the wii u cause no one buys anything for it and he didn't even know anything about it other than it was an hd wii. Nintendo really needs to get more info out about the wii u lol.
.......and that's why the name Wii U was the worst possible choice. A vast majority of people don't even understand its an entirely new and massively upgraded system.
How about just screaming in large letters, "It's Nintendo's revolutionary new HD next gen system!"
@Jamouse that WAS one tick for the Wii. The new ones dont have it... for over a year now I think.
It's good but it doesn't really say that it's an entirely new console
Nintendo's next console will be called the WiiU 3 DS, just to ensure that those last traces of ambiguity are well-captured.
The wii has one thing the wii u doesn't: it plays gamecube games; so nintendo, solve this by adding gamecube titles to the wii u eshop asap.
Next time : Wii 3
facepalm
How did you type bold font?
Yes it seems absurd but some consumers do need things spelt out for them like this. Its done in a manner simialr to how u compare mobile phone models on line.
Oh k thanks.
They couldn't have explained what some of this mumbo jumbo means? What is Miiverse? Nintendo TVii?
This is truly desperate. And who, at PAX East, could be there without knowing what the Wii U is? And shouldn't Nintendo compare the Wii U to its competition? The fact that people mistake the Wii U for a Wii accessory isn't because they are dumb, and sadly, that's what this measure is implying: it's because the console hasn't been rightly marketed.
Something's just wrong.
Ah yes, a spreadsheet will entice Joe Walmart to 'upgrade'. Keeping the Wii name was the right move seeing as all the accessories are compatible, but marketing like this is BS in isolation. They need to be out on the street with the Gamepad, put it in people's hands and get them to fling ninja stars at the telly. Take the simplest, most satisfying action that the Wii CAN'T do and show it to people, face to face. It's a more complicated concept to grasp and it won't market itself like the Wii did until they get it out on the street. Everywhere. Now.
@Bliquid
No, not the Wii Mini. There was another one which replaced the original. It looks similar, but has no GameCube support or vertical stand: http://www.1up.com/news/new-smaller-wii-model-ditches-gamecube-support
Nintendo's biggest problem is selling a concept to gamers that is completely "outside of the box". I got the Wii U at launch and love it, but have been disappointed with the lack of decent games available and constant delays in releasing new ones. Then, yesterday I tried to buy Monster Hunter 3 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted as they were released last week, but the two game shops in our local town (Game and an independent store) weren't stocking either of them. The guy in the independent store told me there had been a shortage of those games on release as they had all been supplied to online retailers. I have asked him to try and source them for me, as I always like to support his independent store. But if this is the way things are going to be, and gamers can't see that those games are available on the Wii U in stores, then it is going to DIE.It really needs much more publicity, more games being released and a higher profile in stores for it to succeed.
@hiptanaka That's the Wii Mini...
Wait never mind. Now I feel stupid. Why did they get rid of Gamecube support?
They wouldn't have to do this if consumers weren't so stupid.
Its pretty bad that the 3DS is literally selling like crap because people don't realize its a whole new console and not just a DS with 3d features.
Well some consumers are stupid and some arn't. I love me some Nintendo; but they dropped the ball on this one. I'll play thrid party games on my 360 and whatever Microsoft craps into a box next. But i'll be happy playing my Nintendo games on my Super Wii.
Consumers aren't necessarily stupid, they just don't know the score because it's not being shown to them and that's Nintendo's fault. We're all consumers here but we know about Wii U because we've read articles and tracked it down and tried it. Anyone who doesn't keep up with game websites and magazines but picked up a Wii has no clue.
Edit: And how do you make the situation even more difficult for your new console lacking a solid marketing drive? Release Wii 'Mini', a confusing feature-stripped hardware revision of your previous dying console, just to muddy the waters.
Wouldn't it have cleared a lot up if they had a commercial before launch that had detailed all of this? "Here are 18 reasons for buying a Wii U!"
or just called it SUPER WII!
Shouldn't have called it Wii again..
I don't see a problem with the name. Xbox didn't seem to have any issues.
Hey, if Sony and Microsoft can do it, why can't Nintendo?
yay, compare Wii U to Wii, that'll get peoples attention ¬¬ For god sake, Nintendo, compare it to the PS3 or something, not a system that felt outdated when it was released lol
@Tsuchiya agreed, should have called it something else just so people are confused.
What could they have called it? Hmm? Well the og Nintendo was huge and the next one was called, hmmm, what was it called again? Oh ya! The Super Nintendo. And that sold good. The Wii was huge so they should have named the Wii U, dang, what should they have named it? Hmm, not Super Wii. That would just be the R word. Maybe the Diggley Doop?
"They need to be out on the street with the Gamepad, put it in people's hands and get them to fling ninja stars at the telly."
They are doing this, actually. Last Saturday I went to my local drugstore and there were people from Nintendo advertising the Wii U and let people try it out.
At least they aren't picking on other consoles
@Mazor775 this
Wii 2
thats more like it
now get em out there
A extreme, but necessary measure with all the misunderstanding around, they should give those flyers to all retailer and electronic shops.
It will surely be much more professional and complete than the "WiiU's games does NOT play on the Wii system" flyers I saw at a shop once ^_^;
They should called it "It's a brand new console not a re skin Wii"
Nintendo needed to do this before Xmas. How can such a big company screw this up so badly. Especially after their experience with the 3ds. Didn't they learn anything? If Wiiu succeeds it won't be because of Nintendo!
All fine but people aren't confused at all. They have more than half a brain and know the difference. The fact is that there are no games on the Wii U currently that makes you want to go out and buy a Wii U today or tomorrow.
There is a 3/4 page Lego City Undercover review in my newspaper this morning (Newsday) written by the AP (Associated Press) and under details it said: Nintendo Wii $50. Not Wii U or WiiU, just Wii. So that can't be helping any when people writing reviews for your game don't even know what system it's on. No mention of the Gamepad in the article either.
Sadly, I also think that Wii2 may have been the way to go. Personally, I would have called it the NES/FAMICOM!
@Jamouse The very reason why I'm keeping my Wii.
Even where they're on the same level it's set up to draw attention to the Wii U... good marketing Nintendo!
Do people really think the name Wii U is the problem? No matter what they name the system it isn't going to sell without games. People bought the Wii b/c it was $250 and came with Wii Sports, meanwhile the PS3 was $600 and Xbox360 was $500 and neither of those came with a game. And a lot of those Wii owners probably never bought another game. Now the $300 Wii U is gameless, and the $350 has NintendoLand which might be the worst marketed launch title ever. Call it Wii U, Super Wii, Wii 2, it doesn't matter. People are stupid, but they aren't THAT stupid. I bet if NintendoLand was never made and NSMBU was in the Deluxe bundle sales would have at least been double. You can easily market the first ever HD Mario, you can't easily market "asynchronous" gameplay, especially when your kiosks don't even have the pack-in game as a playable demo. The name doesn't matter. Everybody hated the Wii name and that sold out for 2 straight years.
@WhiteTrashGuy
Drop the Wii tag altogether. Well, it's too late now. Maybe next time go with The Nintendo Gankona
Rick from RTUSA recently said he had to explain to a shopper that WiiU was a new console, not the preexisting Wii and I'm sure he's not alone in doing so there. It sounds like a stupid thing to cause confusion but it's happening.
They need to stop comparing the two side-by-side, it only adds to the problem that people think that the WiiU is just a new peripheral for the WIi. They need an advertisement campaign that focuses on people playing the games and its unique features, not ones that show families playing with Wii Remotes and a gamepad. Clearly this console confusion is what's cuasing a lot of the problems, and keeping the same stupid advertising as the Wii had isn't helping. They need to have a slogan that makes it clear that it's not a Wii, and people will gain interest.
Of course, games help too.
6 months after release and the masses are still unsure wtf Wii U is...
Oh dear. I agree with those above (and the people that said this all along) that the name should have been something totally different as it has confused people.
This checklist almost makes it feel like a small upgrade to the Wii if you just glance at it quickly. GamePad is just a little word and a check even though it's the biggest distinction between it and the competing consoles and the best part of the system.
The name is problematic as "U" has no natural connotation. Wii 2 would have been a bit boring but sent the message home a little more clearly (and could have played off the 2 screen thing).
However, I agree with the sentiment that it's GAMES that will make the difference. New games that can't be played on the Wii and other consoles. Once those start coming people will figure out why they can't play it and realize they need the Wii U. It's really pretty simple.
Bring the games and the name and details won't matter.
This flyer just proves what a terrible job nintendo has done in promoting the wii u. I swear every time i go to any store looking for wii u the people who work don't even know what it is!
this NEEDS to be in UK shops
People ARE largely stupid and can't figure out the simplest of things....combine that with nintendos HORRIBLE marketing and bad name and U have problems.
It can be fixed, but its going to take effort to find a new way to connect with the public. Its tough, because people are more and more negative and aloof about nintendo because the attacks from pachter, hipster gaming media have begun to take a toll.
@LavaTwilight No, you can't get BBC iPlayer in Wii mode. AND I'M SO ANNOYED AT THAT!!!!!
The other day an opportunity arose where my family wanted to look at pictures from a recent trip on the TV. That's when it hit me that only the Wii has the ability to do a photo slideshow on the TV through an SD card, as they've removed any sort of photo channel from the Wii U without going to the Wii menu. That's the only thing it has going for it left, though. Other than backwards compatibility to the GameCube (which I used in my recent revisit of Luigi's Mansion).
Well... people in general are possibly not as smart as they used to be in the 80's and 90's... unless people had trouble finding the difference between the NES and SNES back then as well...
This is on the Nintendo website site.
I think they held off because anyone that got a Wii U early on already knew what was up, but now since there's new games(or ones coming soon) and generally more appeal to the console(IMO) they have more reason to advertise it now than they did at launch.
Nice, I need to show this to some people...
Promoting the wiiu as an all new console, that's a first Nintendo!
The marketing is terrible compared to what it could have been. Instead of those lame commercials ALL they needed to do was make a little scene like the one at e3 where a kids sister makes him turn off his game, and he takes it to the gamepad instead. That would turn plenty of average joe heads...
Or, Nintendo, you could just stop selling the Wii.
What could help the Wii U sell? [activating smartass mode] Games.
[takes cover]
Nintendo should have named it Wii 2 instead of Wii U, people would have known for sure that its different...
THey shouldn't just limit these to PAX, they should have stacks of these in every Gamestop, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Toys R Us, etcalong with these as ads in magazines and newspapers. Also a TV Advirtising campain if they are serious about changing that image.
@AlexSora89
That's not even being smart donkey at all. We all know there needs to be games out, but there's just no possible way for that to happen as of now, otherwise it would.
People just need to be patient with the games coming out. Wii U is a next gen console, and as far as I'm concerned Nintendo will already be a year ahead of Microsoft and Sony. Not saying they won't catch-up, but Nintendo's the only company offering anything to be considered new at all right now.
They have that flyer on gamestop's website under wii U section, and I feel like if youre at pax east you should know the difference
@Jamouse Modern Wiis can't play gamecube games. Since, like 2010.
I love Nintendo, but they're doing an absolutely terrible job of marketing the Wii U. Things better change before this holiday season.
They should have compared it with the Wii Mini, just to make it look that much more amazing, lol.
All that Nintendo need is some decent advertising. I went to pick up a Wii U in hmv and spent about 5mins looking for it. In the end I found it tucked in a little corner.
All Nintendo needs is some decent ADVERTISING not a silly flyer
I like the Wii U more then the Wii.
@JayArr
that's exactly what the U stands for, "Upgraded."
but why ninety, should i buy a WiiU instead of any other console, like say, PS360, or maybe the upcoming PS4? they've got things that the WiiU doesnt have.
@Jamouse
Good point sir.
I think the problem with marketing the Wii U is that it appears to be back-tracking. The Wii introduced motion-control which won the public over, but now the Wii U is going back to a gamepad instead of advancing motion-control to the next level as the Microsoft Kinect is trying to do.
During a scene in the movie "Tropic Thunder", Matthew McConaughey's character is jumping around playing tennis with a Wii Remote. That scene would not have worked with Matthew McConaughey sitting on the couch staring at the Wii U gamepad, which exemplifies a stark contrast between the two consoles: the Wii was fun, upbeat, and a pop culture phenomenon, whereas with the Wii U we're back to isolating on the couch.
Also, the Wii was heralded for adapting well to senior citizens. However, I think that demographic would have a difficult time playing the Wii U and struggle with content being shown on two screens.
@gundam00
They need to find a way to market it with the fact that wii remotes are still used a lot without people thinking its an attachment for the wii
@Jamouse GC games will end up on eShop wait n see
Thank goodness, an actual non-biased article on this flyer.
I think it's great, it would work better at retail, though. PAX was probably a good start though.
I was at PAX East and Nintendos showing was much better than Microsoft's and especially Sony. Sony's display was terrible. They showed exactly one game: Last of Us. No Vita at all. No other PS3 games nor PS4 anything. Microsoft had a better booth, definitely, but still they didn't really have anything new to show. Nintendo had playable demos of Wonderful 101, the new Luigi, new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, etc. Plus playable demos of Lego City and other existing games. And you could buy Luigi and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon a day early.
I just don't understand why marketing is so difficult for Nintendo, they are their own worst enemy.
Reading that poster, the Wii U suddenly appeals to me more... I do think it serves its purpose!
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